Pumpkin Al pastor Soup
Ingredient list
2 small pumpkins to roast I used small sugar pumpkins IF you choose to roast your own pumpkins, you will need a food processor, blender, or immersion blender.
Or
Pumpkin puree 1 ¾ cups or whole can 15 oz
Yellow onion, I only use a half of an onion.
Garlic (4 or 5 cloves)
Butter ½ tbsp
Half & Half or heavy cream ½ cup
Broth (chicken or Veggie) 4 cups (32 oz)
Al pastor (most stores have it pre marranted) veggie alternative would soy chorizo
Spices
Salt ½ tsp
Pepper ½ tsp
Thyme (fresh or dried) ½ tsp
Garlic powder ½ tsp
Cumin½ tsp
Chili powder ½ tsp
Chyanne ½ tsp
Oregano ½ tsp
Sage ½ tsp
Garlic salt ½ tsp
Optional toppings (trust me add the toppings)
Sour cream
Roasted pumpkin seeds
Crispy Bacon bits
Optional sides
Warm crusty bread (recommended) I use the take and bake or buy one from your local bakery
Chardonnay to drink with it I used the Stags Santa Barbara Chardonnay most stores carry it. It was around $15.00 it is one of my go-to store-bought Chards when I need one.
Kitchen items
Knifes
Measuring spoons and Mesuring cups
Heavy pot (I use a Le Creuset type) it’s big, heavy, ugly, and orange… most likely from the 1970s.
Instructions
When roasting the pumpkins, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Roasted pumpkin- cut into quarters, clean the pumpkin seeds out with a spoon, if you have that orange spoon from a pumpkin carving kit, those work the best, or a grapefruit spoon
rubbed olive oil and salt and pepper.
Roast the pumpkins on a sheet pan for 25/30 mins at 425 or until tender
While that is roasting, turn on the stove top and warm up that pot, add your butter (½ tbls) and start cooking down those onions. If I am roasting my pumpkins I will add these to the food processor and I don't care about the size of the chop. Now if using the can pumpkin I will want to chop the onions pretty fine. Once you add the onions, go ahead and add the chopped garlic.
Browned half onion and 4 cloves of garlic
Once it started to get tender, add about a 4th cup of chicken stock and let it soften more and deglaze the pan. The liquid will pull up any goodies that may have stuck to the pan.
Turn off and let that sit and will add the food processor with the pumpkin.
Once the pumpkin are tender, take a small paring knife and cut away the flash and skin. If they are truly cooked, they will separate very easily. Placed the cooked pumpkin flesh in the food processor. In the food pros and used a spoon for any soft flesh that was left.
Added the onion mixture, pulsed until desired smoothness. Or is a blender or hand blender.
Let that sit. Take your pot, truly prefer cast iron enamel. Mine is from the 1970s. These things will last forever.
Start cooking your al pastor ½ lbs in your soup pot,
I have always used a pre marinated. When it’s about done cooking, add all your spices to the Al pastor. Give that min or two, Add pumpkin mixture or can pumpkin, and chicken stock stir until smooth and add your cream or half and half. Let that come up so a simmer. Let it simmer for 5 or 6 min.
At this time start tasting your soup, depending on how the Al pastor is seasoned you may need to add a 2nd layer of spices. I always tend to add more cumin and a little salt. But this is where your taste buds will lead you to spice to taste. You also might like the soup as is, and that is fine. When adding, always start small, tasting and add again if necessary, that will help not making it over-powering or too salty.
Once you are happy with the layer of spices or the taste of your soup turn off the heat and cover and let rest for 5 mins or a little bit more, this allows the soup to really marry all the flavors.
Enjoy with warm crusty bread with butter, or even a quesadilla. Top with bacon, roasted pumpkin seeds or sour cream.
*I have found I will need to add more spice when using the roasted pumpkin vs the can pumpkin. The texture is more brothy with the can pumpkin and the roasted had has more velvety feel and gets more pumpkin flavor. Either way the soup is an easy addition to a fall favorite or a soup course at the Thanksgiving day table.
